CREDIT: FERLISTOCKPHOTO / ISTOCK / THINKSTOCK
Being open to learning of all kinds makes Fanshawe a wonderful place to learn, according to professor of Applied Sciences and Technology, Herrold Hotham.

There have been some rather obnoxious and xenophobic comments coming from people in high places within Canadian society. Most Canadians are appalled by these comments and no amount of apology or retraction can erase these harmful transgressions.

As a Canadian, a Fanshawe faculty member and the member of a minority, I would like to yet again, apologize to our students, their families and friends who have been offended.

Canada was built on immigration and while our history speaks of “The Two Solitudes”, the French and English who “settled” this great land, Canada seems to ignore the third solitude; our First Nations were equally a part and remain a founding people in this country. It is appalling that their recognition has been minimal when their contributions have been so significant.

This is a huge slap to our aboriginal peoples, one that continues to sting every day; we as a country are lesser for that ignorance.

We are a country of diversity. We see people from every culture and religion in the world coming here to make a better life for themselves. We are adamant about maintaining their rights; the same rights held by all Canadians, or almost all Canadians because despite our history, we do have problems of discrimination within this great country.

Some will dismiss this as human nature and I suppose it is valid, however it is not acceptable. As a society, we are obligated to move forward, to be better, to build a better civilization and country for ourselves, our children and for future generations.

This requires tolerance while learning diverse concepts, no matter how uncomfortable we may feel, and eventually, finding the acceptance that provides equality for all.

Even with this understanding, we have massive problems that can only be corrected through learning. We learn from one another: faculty, staff, students and administration alike. I have been involved with the international student population almost exclusively for a number of years and I have learned as much from my students as they have from me.

I would like to think I have developed a good rapport with these students and as I said, they have taught me lots.

A year ago, my students invited me to a cultural evening that was being held in Forwell Hall. Sadly, I had to decline the initial invite because I had an evening class of Continuing Education. Clearly, my students were disappointed.

When I was chatting with my evening class before the start of the lecture, I told them about the invitation.

One of the students wanted to know why we couldn’t go for a little bit; she explained that they too are students of the college and they never see any of campus life.

She was right and the rest of the class agreed; so, off we went to Forwell Hall. We were greeted by colourful costuming, the amazing aromas of international fare, music and dance. My day school students quickly came over and integrated with my evening class. While we only stayed a short while, there was a wonderful message there for everyone. There was a great deal of learning as well.

It is this kind of learning that all of our campus community should be engaged in both inside and outside of the classroom. We are a diverse community of cultures, religions, sex and genders. We truly are a melting pot and we have an obligation to each other and ourselves to learn more than what our classes can teach us.

While all of this has a significant impact, there is a far more sinister side to our diversity, sexual orientation and gender identity/ expression, in which there are no boundaries.

The LGBT community comes from every culture, religion and society around the world. All too often, scientific evidence is overlooked by personal values. I see this every day and challenge these attitudes whenever I can. Sexual violence prevention is something that society as a whole must work together in order to make it happen. We have to stand united against sexual violence, as it is too common of an occurrence. The latest music video by Lady Gaga was extremely difficult for me to watch because it graphically lays bare the subject of campus sexual violence. It took several attempts for me to get through it; it is still unsettling and it should be.

At Fanshawe, we are taking this year to show innovative new ways to help survivors, such as a sexual violence prevention advisor, a position implemented after the sexual violence policy was introduced in March by Ontario Colleges.

We also have a problem with discrimination due to the diversity of sexual orientation and gender identity. While religious or cultural values may justify one’s discrimination elsewhere, it is not acceptable here in Canada and especially within our college community. Within the province of Ontario, such discrimination is illegal, period. We have a wonderful population of lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender, two spirit and queer people within Fanshawe. Though, not one of these definitions has anything to do with who the person is, their values or talents. These are labels, no more and no less.

I despise labels because each of us is more than a label and our college community is much more than our definitions or factions contained within. Simply put, labels are hurtful.

Personally, people often hear me say that it is none of my business what others think of me, that it is their problem, not mine.

Those who know me well can attest to that value and that I live by it. It doesn’t hurt my feelings any less, but it does explain much about myself.

It is learning that creates acceptance, and to challenge our core values is to learn.

None of us should ever feel ostracized. So, I implore our campus community to learn more than the lessons and assignments found in a classroom; learn from one another, staff, faculty, administration and students alike.

This is a valuable time of life for all of us, no matter what our age or place in society. Those lessons strengthen us individually and collectively. We need to let the world know that Fanshawe is a wonderful place of learning, a safe and a welcoming place. This is the value of a liberal education and we have it within each of us to teach as much as we learn, if we only stop to listen.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.